How Much Did a Furby Cost in 1998?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The original Furby price was $29.95 in American shops in late 1998, the year Tiger Electronics launched the talking toy. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $61.53 in September 2026 money, roughly 2.1 times the original price.
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Furby at a glance
- US launch price
- $29.95
- In today’s money
- ≈ $61.53October 1998 to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US release date
- October 2, 1998
- Where the company was based
- Vernon Hills, United StatesSold by Tiger Electronics of Vernon Hills, Illinois. It was designed by Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung in California.
- Category
- Toys & childhood
- Price source
- csmonitor.com
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
The toy everyone wanted in 1998
Furby was the must-have Christmas toy of 1998. Shops sold out as soon as deliveries arrived. In November 1998 The Christian Science Monitor reported that one store in Jersey City sold its whole shipment of 100 overnight, and that a seller in Indiana had auctioned two boxed Furbys for $262.
The Monitor gave the shop price as $29.95. Some later accounts put it at about $35, but $29.95 is the price reported at the time.
The original Furby price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 1998. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original Furby price of $29.95 works out at about $61.53 in September 2026 money, around 2.1 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what a Furby sells for second-hand.
Did Furby really learn to talk?
A new Furby spoke only “Furbish”, its own made-up language. Over time it used more and more English words, so it seemed to be learning. In fact the English was built in from the start, and it simply switched on bit by bit.
Why the NSA banned Furbies
In January 1999 the US National Security Agency banned Furbies from its offices in Fort Meade, Maryland. Officials worried that the toys could record and repeat secret conversations. They could not: Furby had no way to record sound.
When was the Furby released?
- Shown to the toy trade: New York Toy Fair, February 1998
- On sale in the US: October 1998
Where was the Furby made?
It was invented by Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung and sold by Tiger Electronics, a toy company based in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Hasbro bought Tiger in 1998.
Furby facts you might not know
- About 1.8 million Furbys were sold in 1998 and 14 million in 1999.
- More than 40 million were sold in the first three years.
- Furby could “talk” to another Furby nearby using an infrared light between its eyes.
Frequently asked questions
How much was a Furby in 1998?
A Furby cost $29.95 in American shops in 1998, according to The Christian Science Monitor. During the shortage before Christmas people paid hundreds of dollars online.
How much is $29.95 from 1998 worth today?
Adjusted for US inflation, the Furby’s $29.95 price is about $61.53 in September 2026 money.
Who made the original Furby?
Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung invented it, and Tiger Electronics of Vernon Hills, Illinois, sold it.
Could a Furby record what you said?
No. The original Furby had no way to record sound, even though the NSA banned it from its offices in 1999 over that fear.
Want to compare the original Furby price with similar launches? See what the Tamagotchi, the Barbie, the Rubik’s Cube and the Game Boy Color cost, browse more famous launch prices, or play the Furby question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.
- Newspaper report: The Christian Science Monitor, What makes a “hot toy”? (November 30, 1998)
- Computer History Museum: How Old Is Your Furby?
- Government Executive: NSA says no to Furbies (January 1999)
- Wikipedia: Furby
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)